Peter Tork
Peter Tork (February 13, 1942-February 21, 2019) was the eldest member of the Monkees and, like Mike Nesmith, was an actual musician as well as a composer. He was born in Washington D.C. in 1942, though many news articles erroneously reported him as being born two years later in New York City. Early Life Peter was raised in Connecticut, where his father Halsten was an economics professor at the University of Connecticut. Peter began studying piano at the age of nine but soon showed an aptitude for music by learning to play several different instruments including banjo, acoustic bass, and guitar. After graduating from high school, he briefly attended college in Connecticut before moving to New York City where he became part of the folk music scene in Greenwich Village, befriending other up-and-coming musicians including Stephen Stills. The Monkees Stills auditioned for a show that would eventually become The Monkees, but was turned down because the producers felt he was not photogenic enough. When asked if he knew of someone who looked similar to him, Stills suggested that Peter should audition, which he did, and Peter became one of the Monkees. In the series, Peter was portrayed as shy, naive and dimwitted, which was in direct contrast to his real-life persona. Under Don Kirshner's restrictive direction, the Monkees were allowed only to perform vocals on their songs, though exceptions were sporadically given to Mike and Peter. In 1967, after Don Kirshner was fired from the project, the Monkees were given much more creative freedom. Peter contributed some of the more catchy and memorable flourishes to their later songs, including the piano introduction to their 1967 hit Daydream Believer. But when musical and personal tensions began increasing within the group, Peter began to realize that the four of them were each going in different directions, and thus opted out of the group in early 1969, buying out the remaining four years of his contract. Later Career After leaving the Monkees, Peter continued to maintain a marginal living as a musician, with one of the highlights of his solo career being working with George Harrison. Over the years he would make appearances with the other Monkees (mostly Davy and Micky) at reunion shows beginning in 1976. He continued to appear at reunion concerts and fronted bands of his own, including The Peter Tork Project, the Dashboard Saints, and Shoe Suede Blues. Peter is remembered by younger audiences for two appearances in the iconic 90's TV sitcom Boy Meets World, in which he played Topanga Lawrence's father Jedediah (he was one of three actors to play the role throughout the series); Davy and Micky joined Peter in one episode in 1995, though they did not appear as the Monkees. Illness and Death In March 2009, Peter revealed that he had been diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare, slow-growing form of head and neck cancer. He underwent successful surgery and chemotherapy to get his cancer under control, but three months later the cancer returned, and he again underwent treatment and another successful surgery, during which time he maintained a touring schedule, doing reunion concerts with other members of the Monkees while fronting his own band. In 2018 the cancer returned, and Peter died at his home in Mansfield, Connecticut. He is survived by his fourth wife Pamela and three children, Hallie, Ivan and Erica. References Tork, Peter Tork, Peter Tork, Peter Tork, Peter Category:HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY Category:LOVE FROM FANS.